Jake wore a pair of Spider-Man pajamas. He cocked his head to the side, and his messy hair flopped over. “Are you here for breakfast?”
“Ah, no.” Ramin cleared his throat and scrambled for an answer. “I wasn’t feeling very well last night, so your dad came to help me out, and, uh, he let me stay here since I was so sick.”
That was age appropriate and not technically a lie, right?
Ramin didn’t really believe in lying to kids, but he didn’t know if Jake knew whatgin drunkwas.
“Aw man, we could’ve had a sleepover!” Jake bounced on the bed.
“It was pretty late, you were already asleep. And I was too sick for company.”
“Dad’s good at taking care of people when they’re sick,” Jake observed. That didn’t surprise Ramin. Noah struck him as the kind of guy with a strong nurturing side. “He makes the best grilled cheese.”
“Oh really?”
“Yeah. Do you like Spider-Man?”
Ramin grinned. “Of course. Who doesn’t?”
“Total losers,” Jake said dramatically. “We walked by the Lego Store yesterday and they had this huge Spider-Man set, but Mom and Dad wouldn’t let me get it. They said they could get it cheaper back home and not have to fit it into our suitcases.”
Ramin nodded sagely. “I guess that makes sense. The exchange rate isn’t great right now.”
“I suppose,” Jake muttered. He looked down and started plucking at the duvet. He might’ve only been nine, but he looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Ramin gave him a little nudge. “Whatcha thinking?”
Jake shrugged. “Just boring stuff.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.” He sighed. Jake had the biggest sigh, and he looked so serious, his brow furrowed over his brown eyes, just like his dad’s did. “My mom is moving here.”
“I heard.”
“But my dad’s staying back in Kansas City.”
“Yeah.”
His voice got smaller. “What’s going to happen to me?”
“What do you want to happen?” Ramin asked. At the end of the day, that was what mattered most, right?
Jake’s face screwed up. “I don’t know.”
“I’m sorry.” Ramin wished he knew what to say. But it wasn’t like Noah and Angela had figured this out, either. If the grown-ups couldn’t work things out, no one could expect Jake to. “That really sucks.”
“Yeah.” Jake nodded solemnly. “It does suck.”
Uh-oh. Ramin tried to remember if he’d heard Jake saying that before, or if he’d just taught him a new way to complain about things. Nine-year-olds knewsucked, though, right?
“Your parents both love you, though. I hope you know that.”
Ramin could see it in the way Noah played with Jake’s hair. In the way Angela laughed at his cheesy jokes.
“I guess. Can I see your tattoos again?”
Ramin nearly got whiplash from the change of topic.
